About Granite State Organizing Project

The Granite State Organizing Project is a non-profit, non-partisan organization rooted in faith and democratic values and includes 28 religious, labor, and community organizations representing 40,000 New Hampshire families. The organization was incorporated in 2002 and works in Manchester, Goffstown and Nashua.

As the largest grassroots community organization in New Hampshire, GSOP unites to strengthen community members’ voices in decisions that shape their communities by taking issue-oriented actions. By doing so, GSOP broadens and deepens our own organizations’ leadership, builds community, and promotes a just society. The organization strives to create communities in which residents accept, respect, and value one another; justice, equity, and the democratic process are upheld in all interactions.

GSOP focuses on problems, such as poor housing, failing schools, barriers to citizenship, unjust working conditions, and lack of access to health care, that affect the livelihood and sustainability of communities. For GSOP, the method used to achieve social change –increasing the ability of traditionally disenfranchised people to impact decisions affecting their lives – is as important as the reforms achieved. GSOP members and community leaders conduct research to determine which issues to act on using listening campaigns, one-to-one interviews, and focus groups, as well as more traditional research methods. GSOP’s community leaders then design issue campaigns based upon the research and relationships developed.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The Granite State Organizing Project (GSOP) is a community organizing non-profit. We unite to strengthen our voice in decisions that affect our communities by taking action on issues such poor housing, failing schools, barriers to citizenship, unjust working conditions, and costly health care that put our neighborhoods at risk. We work together for a just society.

Some recent accomplishments include the following:

Tenant Rights

GSOP has been working with residents of the Manchester Housing Authority’s Elmwood Gardens to build community and solve local problems. More than 35 residents have graduated from a GSOP leadership training class and they have formed a Tenant Leadership Group. The Elmwood tenant leaders sponsor community walks through the neighborhood twice a week and meet every Thursday morning at 9:30 am in Elmwood Gardens to brainstorm solutions to community issues and fellowship together.

GSOP and the American Friends Service Committee are committed to helping New Hampshire’s renters have a voice! We assist tenants with filing housing code complaints and notifying landlords of problem buildings. We are eager to bring tenants rights trainings to communities throughout the state. For more information contact the GSOP office.

Youth and Education Organizing- Young Organizers United!

Young Organizers United (Y.O.U.) is a group of mostly immigrant and refugee students attending high school in Manchester. Y.O.U. believes that student voice is crucial in shaping and implementing policies that concern their education. We also believe that immigrant and refugee parents will support their children’s education ambitions and will take action to increase their children’s educational opportunities, including supporting student centered and non-traditional learning, when asked to do so by their children and when given clear avenues for action through effective community organizing.

Y.O.U. is the only organized group of students focused on addressing systemic education issues in New Hampshire. Y.O.U. is convened by the Granite State Organizing Project.

Transportation

GSOP empowered a group of Souhegan Valley residents to create an affordable, wheelchair-accessible transportation service that provides rides to any Amherst, Brookline, Hollis, or Milford resident in need of transportation to medical appointments, to social service appointments and for local shopping activities within the designated service area. SVR is a demand-response, dial-a-ride service. As of January 2011, the Souhegan Valley Rides (SVR) community transit bus service has provided over 5000 rides! The Souhegan Valley Transportation Collaborative (SVTC) invites GSOP members to add their energy and voice to efforts underway to make SVR as sustainable community resource in the Souhegan Valley. For more information please email GetInvolved@SouheganRides.org or visit www.SouheganRides.org.